Summer jobs are great. You get out of the house, you see lots of people, you make money. If only they weren't so much—what's the word?—work. In those long-gone days of your youth, summers were spent spent running around the neighborhood in a carefree sugar trance. Now you're spending those same summer days chained to a grill, cash register, computer, or convicted felon.
Whether you're wearing a uniform and nametag, or a swimsuit and whistle, we at SparkNotes are here to help you get through these disappointing months.
Look on the bright side. If you're like most people, you'll always have either plenty of money or plenty of time. When you were six, you had more hours than you could fill, but it was a chore to scrounge up change for the ice cream truck when it passed by. These days you could easily buy one of everything on Mr. Softee's menu, but since you're stuck at your job, you'll never see another ice cream truck as long as you live (unless your summer job is driving an ice cream truck, in which case you'll never want to see another ice cream truck as long as you live).
Make every second count. Speaking of time, if your job is particularly boring, you can do what supermodels do and divide your hourly rate by 60 to figure out how much you're earning per minute. Or take it a step further and divide by 3,600 to learn how many fractions of a penny you're earning per second. Your shift will goes by faster if you can imagine a fresh penny falling into a piggy bank every 5.496 seconds (for those making minimum wage).
Look to the future. Some time in the distant future, you'll have June, July, and August all to yourself again, and those happy childhood summers will return. When that will be, we can't say. But the even better news is that the other nine months will be all yours as well, because they don't make you work when you live in a nursing home.
Don't sweat the deductions. When you're new to the work force, it's easy to get frustrated by how big a chunk the government takes out of your paycheck. But look at it this way: Given that the government is trillions in the hole right now, the paltry sums it's claiming from you won't be of much help. While you're paying off your debts, the government's are only getting bigger. Ha-ha, government!
How's your summer job going? Use the comments to tell us.
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